Hokkaido rice fields turn breathtaking gold in early summer twilight

HIGASHIKAWA, Hokkaido -- Twilight in the early summer here is a special time, as the landscape is transformed into a breathtaking golden patchwork as rice fields filled with meltwater from Mount Daisetsu are bathed in the dying light of the day.

According to the Japan Agricultural Cooperatives (JA) Higashikawa branch, rice -- including Hokkaido's local Nanatsuboshi and Yumepirika varieties -- has been planted in ruler-straight lines across about 2,000 hectares. Harvest season is in early to mid-September in an average year.

Viewed from Kitoushi Forest Park in the north of the town, rice fields spread out below and mirror the quickly shifting colors of the sky.